SPECIAL TOURS

North Point South

This special tour explores the southern portion of the North Point Neighborhood, a prestigious area that contains the historic homes of the industrial, cultural commercial and professional leaders of Milwaukee. Many of the homes featured on the tour were constructed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and offer a range of extravagant architecture, from Eclectic-Tudor to Neoclassical as well as Gothic Revival.

North Point South is bordered by Columbia St. Mary’s to the north, the bluff and Lake Michigan to the east, the hill at Lafayette Place on the south, and a completely different land use west of Summit Avenue.

This exterior-only tour is sure to delight those who have enjoyed our regularly scheduled North Point Mansions tour (Sundays @ 1 pm), which tours through the northern portion of the North Point Neighborhood.

Menomonee Valley Bike Tour

Saturday, August 8th
2 PM – 4 PM
HMI Members: $10, Non-Members: $20

Back by popular demand!

The Menomonee Valley today is a national model of sustainable development but its roots go back to the first non-native settlement in Milwaukee. Transformed from swampland into a hub of heavy industry during the early 1900’s, by 1990 it was left to decay into hundreds of vacant buildings, a forgotten river, and an environmental wasteland that divided the city. Revitalization efforts have transformed the valley into a national model of sustainable redevelopment with clean industries providing family supporting jobs.

Take a leisurely bike ride along the Hank Aaron State Trail with frequent stops to explore the rich history of the valley. Learn about Silurian Reef fossils, wild rice marshes, Milwaukee’s first railroad, and heavy industry that made Milwaukee the Machine Shop of the World. Discover remnants of the past along with a sculpture park, a haven for trout fishermen, and parkland reclaimed from rail yards. Gain an appreciation of this remarkable resource in the heart of Milwaukee.

Tour starts at the northwest corner of 6th Street and Canal Street, across from the Harley Davidson Museum. A little over four miles in length with two mild grades, total distance including return to the start point is just over seven miles. Limit 15 bikes. Open parking on Canal Street. Guests must bring their own bike.

German Heritage Tour

Saturday, August 15th
10 AM – 11:30 AM (tour can run as long as 2 hours)
HMI-Members: $10, Non-Members: $20

Walking down Old World Third Street today you are not likely to see many German shops advertising “English Spoken Here” as a special or unique service; but as early as 1848, Germans represented 1/3 of the entire population in Milwaukee and this section of the city was the life’s blood of German immigrants. This tour showcases buildings that represent German-American business, education, faith, politics, entertainment, and publishing. Join our experienced tour guides and learn about Milwaukee’s most notable German biermeisters, tanners, artists, butchers, bakers, merchants, publishers, masons, architects and clergymen. This tour celebrates Milwaukee’s German heritage and recognizes the German community as having one of the greatest cultural impacts on our city.

South Side Churches

Sunday, August 16th
1 PM – 3 PM
HMI-Members: $10, Non-Members: $20

St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Explore Walker’s Point on Milwaukee’s south side with tour guide Judy Wimmer to learn how “old world” architecture united with American design traditions and building materials to create new places of worship for Milwaukee’s early immigrants. Tour-goers will learn about the smaller, immigrant churches built in the mid to late 19th century and how Milwaukee’s evolving ethnic composition transformed the use of each building.

This walking tour celebrates the great migration of people that made the United States a “melting pot” and will give tour goers a deeper insight into the motives of the ethnic communities who built these extraordinary churches.

When possible, tour-goers will enter 1-2 of these special places. We ask that all tour-goers respect their surroundings at all times.